The final weeks of the football season were a death march for Boston College coach Frank Spaziani.

It was no longer a question of if he would be fired, but when.

The answer came in a press release, sent at 5:40 p.m. on Sunday evening, just under 24 hours after BC lost 27-10 at North Carolina State to finish 2-10. No BC team had won so few games since 1983, and no BC team has ever lost more other than the 1978 version that went 0-11.

"The decision was made at the conclusion of the season yesterday," athletic director Brad Bates, who was hired to replace Gene FeFilippo in early October, said Sunday night. "It’s been an assessment that’s been ongoing since my arrival here. It’s been really an evaluation of a body of work and not a game by game emotional decision."

Spaziani was BC’s head coach for four seasons, during which the team’s record slid each year. The Eagles were 9-4 under Jeff Jagodzinksi in 2008 before he was fired by DeFilippo for pursuing the vacant head coaching job with the New York Jets. Under Spaziani, BC was 8-5 in 2009, 7-6 in 2010, 4-8 last year and 2-10 this fall.

Including a win in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in 2006 when he was the interim coach after Tom O’Brien bolted BC for N.C. State — O’Brien was fired Sunday as well — Spaziani was 22-29 as BC’s head coach.

Spaziani first came to BC in 1997 as the running backs coach, and by 1999 had been elevated to defensive coordinator. In all, Spaziani, who is 65 years old, spent 16 years at BC.

"Obviously this is a sad day for my family and me," Spaziani said in a statement. "Boston College has been my home for more than 16 years, and I have been fortunate to work with some amazing student-athletes. I will always treasure my relationships with them and the BC staff. ... I wish the current and future Eagles nothing but the best."

Despite the dismal record, in at least one way Spaziani leaves the Eagles in much better shape than they were in when he took over.

With two coaching changes in barely two years, recruiting got off schedule. When the senior classes of 2009 and 2010 departed, there weren’t ready players to move up and become starters. Instead, Spaziani was forced to use a litany of freshmen and sophomores — 25 were on the two-deep for the Eagles’ season-ending win over Miami last year, and 29 were on the two-deep for Saturday’s loss in Raleigh — and the team’s performance suffered.

In the coming years, however, because of the way Spaziani recruited, in another year or two when a player graduates — or gets injured — there will be an experienced backup ready to ascend to the starting role.

Page 2 of 2 - But no matter what Spaziani may have done well, the losses — because of adjustments made by opposing coaches that BC didn’t match, because of poor strategic choices, because of questionable hires, because of many factors — were simply too much to overcome.

"Ultimately all of us are measured on our performance," said Bates, "and when you’re in a profession of athletics winning is a very big factor in that performance."

Bates said he already has a list of potential coaching candidates, and will begin his search immediately. He’s seeking, he said, someone who’s going to win while at the same taking care of the student-athletes and the school — two of which, he said, Spaziani was good at. And while previous head coaching experience could benefit a candidate, it’s not a requirement.

"We’ll move as quickly as possible," he said. "But at the same time we’ll be very deliberate. This is an incredibly significant hire."

While Bates searches for Spaziani’s replacement, this is suddenly a time of uncertainty for the players who remain.

As they begin preparation for next season, they do so without a head coach, working out for the time being under the guidance of Spaziani’s assistants. And they do so with mixed emotions, at once grateful to the coach who brought them to BC and gave them their opportunity to play, while at the same time optimistic about what change may bring.

"This team has a lot of talent and a lot of potential," said linebacker Steele DiVitto, who will be a senior next fall. "Hopefully we bring in someone who loves winning and someone who is very excited about the future."

Similarly, rising senior wide receiver Bobby Swigert, just a couple of weeks removed from knee surgery and still in a wheelchair, said, "I’m really excited about the opportunity to have a new guy come in here and get a new mindset and start winning some ballgames. ... We have enough talent in our locker room to win the ACC championship. I think it’s just a matter of putting us in the position and getting us the right mindset to do that."

The death march is over. When was Sunday evening. Now the question becomes, who?

Eric Avidon can be reached at 508-626-3809 or eavidon@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericavidon.